Screen-feeding means for tile-cleaning machines



Nov. 20, I928.

H. D. LlLLlBRlDGE SCREEN FEEDING MEANS FOR TILE CLEANING MACHINES Original Filed July 22. 1921 [n06 Huff g3. Lz'llibrtZQe By Patented Nov. 20, 1928. 1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY D. LILLIBRIDGE, 0F ZANESVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN ENCAUSTIC TILING COMPANY, LTD., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A'GORPORATION 0F YORK.

SCREEN-FEEDING MEANS FOR TILE-CLEANING MACHINES.

Original application filed July 22, 1921, Serial No. 437,854. Divided and this application filed April 16,

1925. Serial No. 23,593

This invention pertains to feeding means by which fragile tiles are supplied without breakage to a screen mechanism of a tile cleaning machine. 1

Inthe art pertaining to ceramic tiles, it is usual to employ tiles of-small dimensions for mosaic work, and the like, and in the. process of manufacture the molded clay material is deposited with loose sand into saggers and then placed in a kiln for firing or burning. The economical production of small dimension tilesrequires them to be handled by machinery, and at one stage of such production the tiles are cleaned for the removal of the sand, adhering thereto by the machine which constitutes the subject-matter of my appli cation Serial No. 487,854, filed July 22, 1921, whereof the present application isadivision.

According to the present invention, the small dimension tiles are elevated by an endless conveyor of concave formation in cross section, and are delivered without breakage into a screen cylinder operable by a rotary motion imparting a tumbling action to such tiles, for the purpose of dislodging the sand adhering to the surfaces thereof.

The screen cylinder is of novel formation at the receiving end thereof, obtained by the provision of a contracted or restricted month portion, within which is positioned an annular flange that extends inwardly with respect to said. cylinder, said constricted mouth portion and the annular flange performing the function of a guard in restraining the egress from the cylinder of the tiles supplied thereto. The endless conveyor is extended within the constricted mouth and flange members of the screen cylinder, said conveyor occupying a compact relation to the rotatable cylinder for the purpose of minimizing the fall, and consequent breakage, of the tile material when discharged from the conveyor into the screen cylinder.

Other functions and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tile cleaning machine illustrating the screen feeding means of my invention associated with the rotatable screen cylinder.

Figure 2 is an enlarged View partly in sectionand partly in elevation illustrating the relation of endless conveyor to the screen cylinder.

Figure 8 is a cross section through the conveyor means on the line 38 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the'belt.

As shown in Figure 1, the tile cleaning machine of my aforesaid application includes a feeding hopper A, an inclined runway B, an endless conveyor C, and a screen cylinder D, combined for conjoint operation in handling fragile tile materialeconoinically and in a manner to preclude undue breakage of such material while undergoing treatment to effect the dislodgment from the tile material of the sand adhering thereto subsequently to burning .or firing such material while contained within saggers.

The feeding hopper A is supported by a frame member a from which extends the runway B, the space of said hopper being bounded by walls Z) b which are inclined upwardly with respect to the runway B and to the conveyor C so that the hopper walls act in directing the tiles and the sand toward and upon the conveyor. The runway and the foot of the conveyor extend within the frame member a, below the throat or bottom of the enclosed hopper space, and this runway is inclined upwardly and rearwardly from said hopper, the upper rear part of said, runway being attached fixedly in a suitable way to. a frame member a of the main supporting frame. The runway may be any suitable framing for the conveyor C; as shown, the runway is a skeleton frame comprising side rails 0 0, joined by cross rails 0 and within said side rails are provided cleats 0', the upper faces of which are beveled at 0 The conveyor which is preferably used is composed of a relatively soft and flexible material, non-injuriousto the fragile material handled thereby. In practice, the conveyor is an enclless belt. or apron, composed of rubber; or rubber compound, or rubber fabric, the exposed face of which s ribbed at d and" 1S provided with cross cleats (Z, the latterbeing also of flexible material, such as leathersuitably. attached to the flexible material of the .conveyor/ For confining or restricting the the loading end at the hopper A to the discharging end within the mouth of the screen cylinder D. The pulley e is supported at the lower end of the runway Band adjacent hopper A; the pulley e is adjacent the screen cylinder D, and pulley f is also adjacent the screen cylinder but above the pulley 0, see

Figure 2. Said pulley e is on a cross shaft 9 sup orted on the frame member a, said cross sha having a gear g meshing with a similar gearon a drive shaft E and provided with a belt-driven pulley E. The pulley f is an idler carried by a shaft f and supported thereby in an operative position substantially above the plane of the axis of the screen cylinder D. The runway B or the frame member a is provided with a member f extending into the opening at the restricted ,mouth of the screen cylinder, andthis member f carries or supports an idler roller or pulley f which i is positioned within the restricted mouth of said screen cylinder, free from contact therewith. Intermediat-e the rollers or pulleys e f is another direction roller f and near one side of the driving roller or pulley e is a further idler roller f. The endless conveyor passes around the pulleye, along the runway B to and over the pulley or roller f, thence around the roller i", to and Partly around the intermediate ro ler f thence beneath and l partly around the driving roller or pulley e,

thence to and over the direction pulley f and thence back to the roller or pulley e. The conveyor is frictionally engaged with the concavefaced pulleys or rollers so as to be deformed in cross section to produce the trough-like shape and to be driven by the pulley or roller 6, and at the dischar e end this conveyor extends into and withln the screen cylinder D and around the direction roller f for dropping the tile and sand within said cylinder.

The cylindrical screen D is inclined lengthwise, and positioned within a casing supported by the frame member (1 the higher end oflsaid screen receiving the material from the de ivery end of the conveyor. Said screen is composed of perforated lags, assembled into abutting contact, and which lags are held in fixed relation to each other by external bands z", the latter contacting with appropriate grooved rolls i supported by longitudinal shafts F, driven by bevel gears h from the drive shaft E. At the receiving end of the cylindrical screen D, is provided an inwardly extending member i which forms a constriated mouth or opening, and with said member i co-operates a ring i, the latter being secured to the member 71 and positioned in coaxial relation to said screen D. The ring 2" projects inwardly with respect to the mouth restricting member i said member i and the ring 2' serving the function of a stop in precluding the exit from the screen of the material fed into said screen by the operation of the conveyor (l The screen D with the ring a? are rotatable with respect to the discharge end of the conveyor, which discharge end is looped around a relatively small roller f in a manner to produce a relatively narrow part of the conveyor within the receiving end of the screen cylinder, for the purpose of reducing the fall or drop of the material from the conveyor 'to' the inner surface of the cylinder, and thereby minimizing breakage of the fragile tile material.

The assembly or group of direction rollers or pulleyse, f, f, F, provide means for supporting the delivery portion of the endless conveyor in co-operative relation to the receiving end of the screen cylinder, and such assembly or grouping results in a compact arrangement of said conveyor delivery with the result that the screen cylinder partly envelops the conveyor delivery, whereby the conveyor and the screen are brought into direct co-operative relation to the end that the fragile material is supplied from the conveyor to the screen without the intervention of intermediate mechanism. The screen which partly envelops the conveyor is rotatable with respect to the conveyor, and thus the material is supplied to the screen without being handled at an intermediate stage in the operation of transporting the fragile material from the hopper to the screen mechanism, effecting a saving in time and minimizing breakage.

In operation, the tiles and sand are emptied from the saggers into the hopper A, and pass by gravity thence to the conveyor C, by which the materials are carried upwardly and delivered thence directly into the screen cylinder. The rotation of the inclined screen cylinder tumbles the tiles, and the inclination of said cylinder feeds the tiles toward the delivery end of said cylinder, the tumbling and feeding action of said cylinder producing a frictional rubbing contact of the tiles which dislodges the adhering sand so that the tiles are cleaned and the sand is elimihated, the sand escaping freely through the perforations z" of the cylinder lags and accumulating within the subjacent hopper G.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tile cleaning machine embodying a rotary separating cylinder the receivingend of which is reduced in diameter, a cylindrical band concentric with the cylinder, said band extending into said cylinder inwardly from the reduced end thereof, said cylindrical band and the reduced cylinder end partially closing the receiving end of the cylinder and said band afiording an inlet for material, and an endless conveyor the discharge end portion of which is projected beyond the cylindrical band, said discharge endof the conveyor being located slightly above the level of the lower portion of the band and said discharge end being enveloped by the cylindrical band and by the cylinder. I

2. A tile cleaning machine embodying a rotary separating cylinder, an endless traveling conveyor, said cylinder and said conveyor being inclined oppositely one to the other, and a cylindrical band concentric with the cylinder and extending inwardly from the receiving end 01' said cylinder for precluding the exit of tile and sand from said receiving end, said cylindrical band being fixed to the cylinder for rotation therewith relatively to the traveling conveyor, the discharge end of said conveyor being located slightly above the level of the lower portion of said band and said discharge end being enveloped by said rotatable band and said cylinder wl1ereby tiles and sand are discharged from the conveyor directly into the cylinder in a manner to minimize breakage of the fragile tile material.

' In testimony whereof I have hereto signed my name this 13th day of April, 1925. v

HARRY D. LILLIBRIDGE. 

